The rapid growth of the Internet and other networks has led to increasing demand for higher speeds and higher bandwidth to support the efficient and reliable transmission of video, audio, images, text, multimedia, and other data. Fiber optics provides a means by which to transmit such data at high speeds, at a high bandwidth, and with minimal data degradation. While a number of existing networks may utilize fiber optic cables for at least a portion of the network, the connection to the end user or customer has historically been established with more cost-effective copper cables, which typically transfer data at lower speeds, at a lower bandwidth, and with a higher risk of data loss than with fiber optic cables.
The deployment of fiber optics to homes, businesses, and other entities is known as fiber to the X (“FTTX”), in which the X may refer to, for example, the curb, the building, the premise, or the home. FTTX may be deployed using a point-to-multipoint configuration known as a passive optical network (“PON”). With a PON, data from an optical line termination (“OLT”) is transmitted on single fiber and is shared, via an optical splitter, among a plurality of optical network terminations (“ONTs”), optical network units (“ONUs”), multi-dwelling units (“MDUs”), or the like. A PON is termed “passive” because there are no active electronics between the OLT and the ONTs. The OLT broadcasts the same signals, via the optical splitter, to all ONTs in the PON. The ONTs may restrict the signals provided to the end user, however. For example, while the OLT may broadcast a plurality of offered services, such as plain old telephone service (“POTS”), voice over Internet Protocol (“VOIP”), broadband, and Internet Protocol television (“IPTV”), to all the ONTs, the ONTs may restrict their signal output to only those services subscribed by the end user customers.
A number of failures may potentially occur in the connection between the OLT and the ONT. In a first example, a fiber between the OLT and the optical splitter may be cut or otherwise rendered ineffective. In a second example, a fiber between the optical splitter and one of the ONTs may be cut or otherwise rendered ineffective. In a third example, the ONT may experience a power failure. In a fourth example, the ONT may experience a software failure. In a fifth example, the ONT may experience a hardware failure.
When a failure in the connection between the OLT and ONT is first discovered, for example, when a customer notifies a service provider that the customer is not receiving subscribed services, the service provider must determine the reason for the failure and dispatch an appropriate technician to an appropriate location. For example, while the service provider may utilize one technician to fix fiber cuts, the service provider may utilize another technician to fix ONT software failures. If an inappropriate technician is dispatched, resources, such as time and money, may be wasted in dispatching a new technician. Additionally, if a technician is dispatched to an incorrect location or is unaware of the source of the failure, the technician may waste resources locating the source of the failure. The resources wasted by the technician may also affect the customer as the customer may not receive subscribed services until the failure is remedied.